A senior official with the Dubai Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing said they will announce the new classification system for hotels in Dubai next quarter. Director of Hotel Classification at DTCM said they expect to finalize the classification system soon and hope the new classification will be out in the third quarter of this year. Currently, criteria established in 1998 are the basis for one to five star ratings assigned to hotels by the DTCM.
The new classification system will have more rigorous standards with old hotels retaining the prior star rating while new hotels will be measured using more stringent criteria. It will help them plan and market their promotional material, especially during times of slowing tourist numbers.